Sickles in the Moonlight
by Bookwyrm77
Summary: After an eventful 4th year and a dramatic summer, Harry boards the Hogwarts express for the 5th time, where he meets a most unusual (and cute) girl who seems to share a haunting past. Having an intimate understanding of sorrow, Harry decides to help a soul in need and gain a friend... or maybe something more? Now completed!
1. Sickles in the Moonlight

Sickles in the Moonlight

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, it belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing a little with the world she established.

A/N: Hey everyone, this is my first story and I am excited to hear what you think. Please review; praise is much appreciated and constructive criticism is welcome. Please no flames. With that said, hope you enjoy!

****SitM****

Harry stepped through the barrier onto Platform 9 ¾ for the fifth time in his life, though not as excited this time around. As much as he loved the school he'd come to see as his home, he knew it could never feel the same after witnessing the death of his fellow student and Triwizard Champion, Cedric Diggory. He also felt an increasing sense of foreboding as Minister Fudge had disbelieved his and Dumbledore's claims that Voldemort had returned, and attacked them both through the Daily Prophet.

But those weren't the only attacks on Harry. First Harry and his cousin Dudley were nearly kissed by a pair of dementors, then he had been forced to attend a hearing to determine whether or not he would be expelled from Hogwarts because he had cast the Patronus charm in self-defense. He was almost convinced that the Ministry had sent the dementors on purpose and got very upset when he was able to repel them; hence the hearing for performing magic in front of a muggle who already knew about its existence!

Harry was more than happy to hop on the train and let his worries disappear behind him as he rode away to the magical school that had turned his whole life around. Harry walked into a train car with Ron and Hermione close behind. They gave Harry quick goodbyes as they had to go to the prefects' compartment for the beginning of the journey. With a promise to save them space in a compartment, he wandered through the train looking for an empty compartment. Unfortunately, most of them were full.

After ten minutes of searching, he found a compartment with only a single occupant, a 3rd or 4th year Ravenclaw girl. Harry decided this was probably the emptiest compartment he would find, so he opened the compartment door and asked softly, "Excuse me, could I sit in here? There is hardly any room elsewhere."

The younger girl looked up at the sound of his voice. The two teens stared at each other, as if assessing one another. The girl had very long, scraggly, dirty blond hair, and she had her wand stowed behind her left ear. Around her neck was an odd necklace of what looked like Butterbeer corks, and she was apparently reading a magazine upside down. But what really caught Harry's attention were her eyes. They gave her a look of constant surprise, and were a gleaming silver in color. Harry continued to just stare into her eyes until she finally spoke.

"You are Harry Potter," she said dreamily, knocking Harry out of his stupor.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, that's me," Harry said lamely. "And you are?"

"My name is Luna Lovegood, though some people call me Loony. And if you wish to sit in here, you are free to do so."

"Well, it's nice to meet you Luna," Harry responded as he stowed his trunk on the overhead rack. He turned to sit down across from her and found himself staring into her silvery eyes once again. His gaze remained steady, looking for a reaction as he asked, "Why do people call you Loony?"

He watched as her eyes momentarily darkened as a fleeting sad look filled them. But it quickly disappeared and she answered, "Most people don't see or understand some things as I do, so I imagine they find me rather odd."

Harry was quiet for a while, reflecting on what she had told him. He had recognized that sad look that had appeared in her eyes; he had seen it many times before in the bathroom mirror at Number 4 Privet Drive. That combined with the rude name made him very concerned for her. This sounded too familiar for his liking.

Before he could ask anything further, Ginny popped her head into the compartment, unaware of Harry's presence. Luna also seemed unaware of the other girl at the door, just reading her upside down magazine, until Ginny spoke up. "Hey Luna, have you seen Michael? I can't seem to find him anywhere," she exclaimed, evidently exasperated.

Luna looked up from her reading and said, "Sorry Ginevra, I haven't."

Ginny groaned. "He told me he would meet me on the platform, but I didn't see him and now the train's about to leave."

Luna didn't seem overly concerned by Ginny's distress. "He probably just forgot. It was likely the work of Wrackspurts, it's what they're best at," she replied simply, as if it was the obvious explanation and didn't sound even remotely odd.

Harry was utterly confused, and felt he had to interrupt. "Wrackspurts? What in the world are those?"

Luna turned her dreamy gaze back to the boy sitting across from her and explained, "They're tiny invisible creatures that float into your ears and make your brain go all fuzzy. My daddy's written an article about them in the latest edition of The Quibbler, if you'd like to read more. I've got more copies in my bag. Would you like one, Harry Potter?"

Harry looked closer at the magazine she was reading and recognized it to be the one in question. Figuring it couldn't hurt to humor the girl, he just said, "Sure, why not? And you can just call me Harry." Upon hearing his confirmation, she bent down to rummage her book bag for a copy. Meanwhile, Ginny seemed to have finally realized Harry was there too.

"Oh Harry, sorry, I didn't see you there. Did you just meet Luna?" Ginny inquired, smiling apologetically.

"It's no problem, and yes we just met. Though you two seem to already know each other, _Ginevra_ ," Harry said, failing to suppress a grin as she blushed and pouted at hearing him use her full name.

"Hey!" she snapped. "Don't you call me that. The only ones who use that name are Luna because she refuses to shorten my name for reasons known only to her, and my parents."

"Fine, geez," Harry conceded, as he took the magazine Luna was now holding out to him. "So, who's Michael?" he added, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Ginny blushed lightly. "Oh, he's my boyfriend," she explained. Her face darkened, and she added, "Though not for much longer if he doesn't have a good reason for abandoning me on the platform."

"Well, when you find him, I hope for his sake that it really was these Wrackspurt creatures that made him forget and not ignorance on his own part. Merlin knows what you'll do to him." He sniggered, and also noticed that a slight grin appeared on Luna's face when he mentioned the invisible creatures.

"Yeah, well, I'll see you two later," Ginny said, annoyed.

"Sure, seeya Ginny."

"Goodbye, Ginevra."

Ginny closed the door and walked off in search of her boyfriend, leaving Harry and Luna to their reading. Harry found the Wrackspurt article to be interesting, but he also found himself glancing up at the girl across from him multiple times throughout the train ride, even catching her eye a couple times. Whenever that happened, he quickly averted his gaze, and knew his cheeks colored slightly. Why was he blushing? He admitted to himself she was rather cute, but he hardly knew her. But then he caught himself watching her again and had to concede there might be something there...

His thoughts were interrupted as Hermione and Ron entered the compartment, having finally finished with their meeting. Harry welcomed the distraction, but not after deciding he would try to get to know the blond Ravenclaw during the coming school year. Especially because he was concerned about that sad look darkening her happy, silvery, even beautiful eyes.

****SitM****

When they finally reached Hogsmeade, the four teens quickly disembarked from the train and headed in the direction of the carriages. When Harry noticed Luna falling back, he stopped and turned to her with a questioning look.

"Aren't you coming with us?" Harry asked.

Luna looked back at him with a slightly hopeful look. "You want me to join you? I didn't want to assume…" she trailed off, unsure. Harry saw that gloomy look reappear in her eyes and knew he was going to have to talk to her about that later. But as for the problem at hand…

"Of course," Harry answered. "I wouldn't ask if I wasn't sure." He barely stifled a sigh of relief when she became much cheerier after his response. "Come here," he added, and when she reached him, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders in case she decided he was being insincere and started to fall behind again. He had a feeling she had to deal with a lot of insincerity and he wanted to make sure she knew she could trust him. "Let's go."

A few minutes later they reached the carriages, and Harry suddenly gasped. Ron and Hermione started and turned to him, concern in their eyes.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione inquired, utterly confused, as nothing seemed to be wrong with her friend.

"What are those things?" Harry exclaimed, pointing at one of the large, skeletal, winged horses pulling the carriages. "They've not been there before."

Both of his friends just stared at the carriages, evidently not seeing what he saw right in front of them. His suspicion was confirmed when Ron responded, "Uhh… Harry? Those are the carriages, mate. Of course they've been there."

At this point, Luna piped up. "Don't worry, Harry, you're not going mad. I can see them too." Her choice of words wasn't very assuring to the raven-haired boy.

"What are they then?" He was both scared but fascinated by these ominous creatures.

"They're thestrals, of course. Only those who have seen death and come to understand what it means can see them," Luna explained in her dreamy tone.

"I've read about those. I can't imagine why they would be pulling the school carriages though. They're supposed to be quite unlucky," Hermione informed them.

Luna, however, was unfazed by Hermione's statement. "People just say that because they're afraid. They're really quite gentle actually, people just avoid them because they're a bit…" Luna paused, looking to Harry almost expectantly. Harry was oblivious to her gaze, but concluded her statement himself.

"Because they're different," Harry finished. He turned to Luna, who was giving him a meaningful look. He asked, "So since I was too young to understand death when my parents died, I couldn't see them until after…" He trailed off, unable to say Cedric's name without reliving that awful moment.

Luna nodded. The four students finally climbed into a carriage, and Luna had barely sat down next to Harry when he asked, "What about you Luna?"

Luna looked up at the bespectacled boy. "My mother, she died when I was nine experimenting with a spell she created," she responded calmly. Ron and Hermione seemed a little unnerved by the cavalier way in which she had referred to her own mother's death, but Harry saw that slight darkening in her eyes once again and recognized that she was masking her feelings. He shivered. This girl seemed to have almost as rough a childhood as he had. He wrapped a comforting arm around her, squeezing her shoulder softly, hoping to send a message that he understood. They all just sat in relative silence after that until the carriages arrived at the front of the school.

****SitM****

Over the next few weeks, Harry hardly saw Luna, and when he did, he was always distracted by something else, whether it was Umbridge's awful detentions, her useless classes, or the fact that Dumbledore seemed to be actively avoiding him. Finally, after the meeting in the Hog's Head to form their defense group a month later, he told Hermione and Ron he'd like to be alone for a bit, to which they both nodded understandingly, then he walked out the door, scanning the street for any sign of Luna. When he caught a glimpse of familiar messy, dirty blonde hair disappearing into an alleyway down the road, and he rushed after it. He caught up to Luna just before she reached the other end of the alley and lightly grabbed her shoulder. She turned at his touch, and her silvery eyes widened momentarily when she recognized who had stopped her, and he found himself staring back into those eyes for a moment before she brought him back to reality.

"Hello, Harry. Is there something I can do for you?" she inquired curiously, in her trademark dreamy tone.

"Yeah, actually, I've been a little concerned about you, but haven't really found the time to talk with you since our first day back. Care to walk with me?" he invited.

All the more curious, Luna nodded slowly then followed him out of the alleyway and away of the village. They walked in silence until they found themselves near the shore of the Black Lake.

Harry sat down on a patch of ground almost untouched by snow and patted the space next to him invitingly, while looking up into Luna's bright, silvery eyes. When she was settled comfortably on the ground, he finally spoke.

"You know Luna, I see a lot of myself in you," he started.

Luna looked back at him quizzically. "You seem to think that is not a good thing," she observed.

Harry shook his head sullenly. "That's just it. It's _not_ a good thing. The day I met you on the train, I noticed many times when a sort of… haunted look crossed your face. Your eyes darkened when we talked about your mean nickname, when you thought you might not be welcome among my friends and I." Harry faltered when she averted her eyes, looking down at her lap. "Look, Luna. I want to be your friend. And as a friend, I'm concerned about you. I recognized my own sadness in you that day, and I couldn't stand to think that you were suffering even nearly as much as I have. I just want you to know that if you need someone to talk to, about anything, that I am here for you. OK?"

Luna looked back up at him, and for the first time, he saw tears in her eyes. She sniffed, then said softly, "I still feel sad about it sometimes, my Mum's death. Daddy has done a great job raising me on his own for the past few years, but he does struggle. It's just not the same."

Her voice had lost its distinctive dreamy quality, replaced with a quiet, sorrowful tone. Her tears were now crawling down her cheeks as she poured out her soul to him, talking about how much she missed her mother, about the constant teasing and bullying she endured since she first arrived at the school, about how everyone she met brushed her off and called her "Loony" behind her back as well as to her face. Harry just sat there with his arms wrapped around her, comforting her as she bared all her problems and insecurities to him.

Hours later, they were still sitting silently together, holding each other, and staring out at the lake. Every once in a while, Luna gave a quiet sniffle, but the tears had eventually stopped a couple hours before. The sun had set and the full moon was very bright tonight.

Harry turned his head to her, still pondering on what she had told him. He squeezed her softly to get her attention. When Luna's gaze fell on his face, he stared directly back at her, into those brilliant bright silver eyes. Harry compared them to a pair of sickles glinting in the moonlight. They were beautiful, and, Harry realized, so was she. The light that fell on her pale face gave her an ethereal glow, and her long hair framed her face quite nicely.

As he continued to stare deep into those pools of silver, he considered how much he now knew about this eccentric girl. She had trusted him with all of her woes, and he had grown to care for the girl in his arms.

Before Harry could talk himself out of it, he screwed up his Gryffindor courage, and leaned down, placing a chaste kiss on Luna's lips. He pulled away to see her eyelids flutter closed as the corners of her mouth turned up into a small smile.

"That was nice," she mused. Her eyes flicked open to stare into his before quickly shutting again as she grabbed the sides of his face gently and pulled it down to hers, claiming his lips once again. This kiss was significantly longer and when they finally broke apart, they both had goofy grins on their faces.

Harry turned serious. "Luna, I will also be here for you." Suddenly, he was extremely nervous. "And… well, I think it would be easier if… um…"

"Yes, Harry, I imagine it would be easier if we were in a relationship. I accept," Luna interrupted, a huge smile splitting her face.

"Yeah, great," Harry said, his goofy grin back in place. He kissed her once more before lying on his back, pulling Luna with him, and casting a warming charm to melt the snow and dry the ground beneath them. As they on the grass underneath the full moon, Harry watched her until her eyelids closed over those beautiful silver eyes, and he soon followed her into the realm of dreams.

****SitM****

A/N: So that's that! Again, please review. Let me know what you thought, and I'll try to get more stories out. Thanks!


	2. Emeralds in the Twilight

Sickles in the Moonlight

A/N: So thanks to multiple suggestions in the way of persuading me to continue this story, I realize there really is more I can do with it. So rather than end it as a one-shot, I've decided to carry it on a little longer. I don't know yet how much further I'll take this story, but it should have another 2-3 chapters at least.

Also, I would like to address a couple concerns I saw in the comments. Thank you for some of your criticisms, I do realize the story is a bit trite, and the characters may be OOC, but I just try my best and if things aren't to your liking, then you don't need to continue reading, but I thank you sincerely for helping me to understand where I can improve. Also, this is my first romance (and story in general), so sorry if you find it kinda sappy. Just heading that one off now before it comes up.

Now, without further ado, I bring you Chapter 2!

****SitM****

Ch. 2 - Emeralds in the Twilight

Luna's eyes slowly fluttered open. She felt like she'd had the best night of sleep in her life. Slowly becoming more aware of her surroundings, she was suddenly very confused. She felt something wrapped around her back and a large solid… thing in front of her. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she rolled onto her back and lifted herself up onto her elbows. She looked around, noticing the sun had still not yet risen, but had already turned the sky beautiful shades of red and orange.

She found herself in the middle of a small circle of soft grass, surrounded on all sides by snow, and lying right next to… Harry Potter! Immediately, the events of the previous night flooded back to her, and she smiled, gazing down at the boy beside her, still dead to the world.

Luna thought more about what happened last night. She had opened up about everything to this kind Gryffindor, knowing she could trust her new friend… She then remembered what else had taken place before they'd fallen asleep, and her eyes widened as her cheeks pinked slightly. Not just her friend, but her first _boyfriend_. She smiled happily as she pondered on the kiss they shared under the full moon.

Harry shifted slightly next to her, and she returned her gaze to his face. His eyes flickered open and she was transfixed by his green eyes. They were bright and beautiful, like… like emeralds, twinkling slightly in the soft light as the sun began to rise. He stared back at her, a confused look taking his face, but a second later it was replaced with a look of… joy? Admiration? Probably both.

Luna smiled back softly, still watching his emerald eyes glisten in the light of the rising sun. He had looked so cute while asleep, but now that he was awake, she felt she could get lost in his gaze forever and be perfectly content.

"Mornin'," Harry mumbled, still not fully awake.

"Good morning," Luna replied, leaning down to plant a quick kiss on his cheek. When she pulled back, his lazy smile had been replaced by a wide grin. He clearly remembered the kiss last night too. "It would seem last night we were accosted by Nargles, though I don't believe I mind."

Harry chuckled. "Nargles, hmm? Well, you'll have to tell me about those on the way to the castle. We should head back before anyone notices we weren't in the castle last night," Harry said.

"Certainly," Luna responded, and after helping the groggy boy to his feet and staring a little longer into those deep green eyes, she walked beside him, telling him all about the devious Nargles as they wandered back to the school.

****SitM****

Harry was instantly accosted by his best mate, Ron, the moment he walked through the portrait hole into the Gryffindor common room.

"Harry, mate, where were you? Hermione and I were worried sick about you when you didn't come back from the village yesterday!"

Hermione confirmed this from an armchair by the fire, where she was curled up with a book in hand, though she was no longer paying it any mind as she said, "Yes, Harry! We thought Umbridge might have done something, or…"

"No, nothing like that," Harry interrupted quickly. "I was… well… I, uh, was talking with Luna, and…"

It was Harry's turn to be interrupted as Ron spluttered, "What does Loony have to do with you being gone all night?" He didn't get to say anything more, though, as Harry was now glaring daggers at him.

Harry's fists were clenched and his jaw set as he growled, "Don't. Call. Her. That. AWFUL. Name!"

Ron felt sufficiently cowed, but was also incredibly puzzled at Harry's strong reaction. Hermione, on the other hand, was annoyed with Ron for interjecting before Harry could finish explaining himself. She glared at the red head, then turned back to Harry. "Ignore him, Harry. You said you were talking with Luna?" she asked, trying to bring his focus back to the matter at hand.

Harry took a couple deep, calming breaths and continued. "As I was saying, I was talking with Luna and we kinda lost track of time. I offered to be her friend and… and maybe more, when we, um…" Harry blushed darkly. "We sorta, well, kissed and then fell asleep by the lake" he finished quickly.

His friends were now gaping widely at him, thoroughly astonished, and Harry took this opportunity to duck up the stairs to the boy's dorms so he could shower and change. Half an hour later, he walked back out of Gryffindor Tower, clean and dressed, and headed down to breakfast. Today was Sunday, for which he was grateful. He needed the time today to think about what had happened between Luna and himself in depth, as well as to discuss with her how things would progress from there.

When he walked into the Great Hall, he immediately sought out Luna, who seemed to have the same idea, waving at him from the Ravenclaw table. When he spotted her, he walked over to her and plopped down in the spot to her left, sitting as close as possible even though there was plenty of room since no one ever sat with her.

He looked around the table to see that most of the other students were uninterested in Harry's presence at their table. A few, however, all girls, were openly glaring at him, as if offended that he, the famous Harry Potter, would sit with a weirdo like Luna. He turned to the girl beside him and gave her a questioning look, gesturing to some of these girls, and she nodded, mouthing, "All of them."

Harry's eyes darkened with anger for but a second, then he proceeded to ignore the girls glowering at him and started piling food on his plate. It wasn't until he was about finished with his meal that he felt a somewhat forceful tap on his shoulder. He looked around to see Cho Chang and one of her friends standing behind him, frowning.

"Yes, Cho? Is there something I can do for you?" he asked as calmly as he could manage, already having a good idea of what the answer would be. An answer he was more than ready to challenge.

"Yeah, why you are sitting with this freak?" She sneered at Luna. "We don't understand why you would spend any time with this little waste of space," she finished, turning back to look at the younger Gryffindor. When she did, though, she gasped and took a step back. Harry's usually bright green eyes, had taken a much darker hue, and had filled with what looked like pure magical energy. His lips were curled into a frightening scowl and he glowered menacingly at the pair of older Ravenclaw girls.

Harry stood, so he was face to face with Cho. "Is that what you believe she is? A freak? A waste of space? Well, let me tell you something. In fact," he stated angrily, looking around the hall, before raising his voice for all to here, "Let me tell you all something! Who agrees that Luna Lovegood is a freak or waste of space? Guess what? So am I! That is what I was led to believe of myself for my entire childhood, ever since the night my parents were killed."

Harry had the attention of everyone in the Great Hall now, and muttering could be heard all around them, but Harry was far from finished. "After that Halloween, I was left with my aunt and uncle, both muggles who despise magic. My 'family' tried their hardest to starve and beat the freakishness out of me. My childhood was not good in any respect. I thought my name was either 'Boy' or 'Freak' until I was five, when the muggle primary school teacher told me it was actually Harry. I was worked like a house elf since I was barely old enough to cook and clean. Until my first Hogwarts letter came, my room was the cupboard under the staircase, since I was deemed a waste of space!" Now he turned towards the middle of the Head Table, directing his glare at the headmaster. "And every summer, I have to go back there, because it is apparently the safest place for me because Death Eaters and Voldemort sympathizers want me dead. However, what I really have to watch out for is my bully of a cousin who uses me like a punching bag!"

Harry turned back to Cho and her friend, who were now very frightened by his current state. He continued softly, but no less stormily. "Furthermore, I expected better from you of all people, Cho. You and Luna are similar in that you both have lost someone you loved dearly. I came to know Cedric to be a great guy, and I can't believe that he would have approved of this outright bullying." Cho started crying at the mention of Cedric. Harry would have felt bad in any other situation, but he was putting down a bully, and he knew it was likely the one way she would understand.

Harry took a deep breath, then let it out slowly, calming himself down so he wouldn't explode again. Luna's soft hand on his shoulder helped tremendously. Once he felt he was over the worst of it, he gave a few parting words. "Now, if that is all, my _girlfriend_ and I will go be freaks elsewhere." And he left the Great Hall, with Luna hurrying behind him, her hand clutching his arm.

When they reached a hallway off the Entrance Hall, Luna tugged him into an unused classroom. When the door closed behind them, she pulled Harry into a tight hug. And finally, Harry broke into sobs.

Luna just held him as he cried, just as he had held her the night before. He was distraught that others could be so cruel to his Luna, just because she was different. He felt that he was now responsible to make it all stop. _No one_ was getting away with it again, not if he could help it.

"Thank you for defending my honor, Harry," Luna whispered, as her fingers stroked comfortingly through his hair. "You are quite the gentleman."

Harry looked up into Luna's face and sighed. "I shouldn't have needed to. They know it's wrong, but they don't care, because no one has done anything about it. Until now, of course. It will not continue, I'll make sure of it."

They sat in silence a little longer, until Luna broke it once again a few minutes later. "It was true, all of what you said in there." It was more a statement than a question, but Harry answered anyway.

"Yeah. When I finally got my Hogwarts letter from Hagrid, I was overjoyed. Then when I saw Hogwarts, it was beyond what I expected. It became my home, my favorite place in the world, my escape from a horrible environment…" He continued for hours, relaying all the trouble he'd seen for the past few years at school, and away from it. He talked about the Philosopher's Stone, the bars on his window, Dobby, the Chamber of Secrets fiasco, Marge Dursley, Sirius Black, dementors, the tournament, Voldemort, and the near-kiss that almost cost him his soul. Luna just soaked it all in, interrupting only a few times to ask him to clarify a few points.

By the time he finished with the disciplinary hearing, he felt a lot better. He was so grateful that Luna was coming to understand him enough that he could open up to her. It was simply one more thing that made them so similar, and so compatible.

Harry lifted his head and kissed Luna solidly, trying to express all of his gratitude through the connection of their lips. When he broke away, he met her silvery eyes with his emerald ones. Then he stood, and offered Luna a hand. She took it, and he pulled her up into a warm embrace. Harry knew then that things would be okay.

****SitM****

A/N: So there's another one done. Next chapter will be some vignettes of various points in their time at Hogwarts. I hope to have it up within a week, but it might be wishful thinking. Nevertheless, I hope you are enjoying this story, and continue enjoy it 'til it's all through! Please review!


	3. Diamonds in the Candlelight

Sickles in the Moonlight

A/N: Thanks again to everyone who reviewed for your feedback! I am glad many of you have liked this fanfic. Like I said last chapter, this is a collection of little vignettes covering Harry and Luna's relationship through the next couple years. I'm pretty happy with how it all turned out, and I hope you find it enjoyable as well!

****SitM****

 **Ch. 3 – Diamonds in the Candlelight**

 **January 3, 1996**

Harry was miserable.

He felt that he shouldn't be so down, considering he was back at Number 12 Grimmauld Place with his godfather (who Luna still insisted was actually Stubby Boardman, retired lead singer of The Hobgoblins). But this holiday break had been kicked off by an awful dream where he was a snake and he attacked Mr. Weasley. It happened in that mysterious corridor he had seen during the entirety of the fall term in dreams.

Harry had seen it for what it really was; not a dream, but reality. He had immediately brought it to Dumbledore's attention, and Arthur was retrieved just in time. For a long time Harry closed himself off from everyone, thinking he had done the deed, that he was possessed by Voldemort and had attacked a man who had become a father figure for him. He couldn't handle the nervous and accusing stares from his friends.

Eventually, Hermione and Ginny managed to pull him out of his funk. They helped him to realize it was all just the weird connection that he and Voldemort had. He had been a bystander, with no influence over the outcome.

Still, it wasn't until Arthur was released from St. Mungo's a couple days ago that Harry mostly let it go. He wrote a letter to Luna, apologizing for not accompanying her on the train ride at the beginning of the holiday, and promising that all would be explained to her when the next term started.

He missed Luna terribly, and he couldn't understand why. He had never missed Hermione or Ron this much, even over the summer when he was stuck at the Dursleys. This was almost a _physical_ pain. He decided he would ask Hermione. She was a girl, she would know about feelings and such, right? Harry hoped so, otherwise he would remain completely lost.

There was a knock on the open door, pulling Harry from his thoughts.

"Hey mate, you wanna play a game of chess?" Ron asked.

"Sure, Ron" Harry replied, and he stood to follow Ron out of the room and downstairs.

A few minutes into the game, Hermione and Ginny walked into the sitting room and took the chairs next to the boys. Harry looked up from the game that he losing spectacularly to see the girls had joined them.

"Hey Hermione, Ginny," Harry started. "I was actually gonna go looking for you once Ron beats me again."

"Oh? Why's that?" Hermione inquired.

"Well, it's Luna," Harry explained, while watching his remaining bishop get brutally smashed by Ron's queen. "I don't know what it is, but… I just can't get her out of my mind. It's so bad, I'm almost hurting, and I thought maybe you could help me understand what my problem is."

Hermione and Ginny turned to each other, grins on their faces, and then started giggling! Giggling! Harry was incredibly confused how they could think this was funny. Finally Hermione turned back to him and asked, "You miss her terribly, don't you?"

"Of course, I mean, I should, shouldn't I? She _is_ my girlfriend after all."

"And you would probably do anything just to be with her again, yes?" Ginny added.

"Definitely, I always feel better with her around. It's like when she's around everything is okay, no, better than okay, and…"

The girls suddenly squealed, which caught Harry off guard, and even Ron broke his concentration at the high-pitched sound. Ginny squealing, he could understand, but Hermione? He'd never heard her squeal in the 4 ½ years he'd known her.

"You love her!" both girls exclaimed.

Harry's eyes widened at that, then he closed them in self-reflection. Did he really love Luna? He thought back to all the time he and Luna had spent together, all the comforting hugs they shared, all the quick kisses between classes, the not-so-quick kiss under the mistletoe in the Room of Requirement after the last DA meeting before the end of fall term.

His eyes shot open again, and a grin split his face. At the same time, Ron checkmated him and shouted in victory, but nothing could dampen Harry's mood now.

He was irrevocably in love with Luna Lovegood!

****SitM****

 **December 15, 1996**

Luna was irate.

She did not usually express anger. Even when people badmouthed her father's Quibbler, she typically maintained some semblance of calm. But when a no-good, jealous, obsessed little fourth year twerp gives your boyfriend chocolate cauldrons laced with love potion; chocolates which, for some _idiotic_ reason, said boyfriend consumes, not even Luna Lovegood could reign in her raging temper. Especially when the girl steps out of the Gryffindor common room, arm in arm with _her_ man!

This was the situation that led to Luna leading Harry through the halls of the school at that very moment, speedily walking towards Professor Slughorn's office in hopes that he would have an antidote ready. Luna was growing very tired of pulling an unwilling Harry along. He was shouting at her for taking him away from his "one true love, Romilda Vane!"

When they reached the potion master's office, Luna rapped loudly on the door. Professor Slughorn opened it seconds later. His ears were immediately assaulted by his best student's loud shouting, so with a swift wave of his wand, the boy was silenced. The girl clutching his hand looked up at him, gratitude in her eyes.

"Excuse us, Professor, but my boyfriend here was given some questionable chocolate cauldrons from another student, and his mind is now quite clouded by a love potion," Luna stated, then added, "And perhaps a couple Wrackspurts as well. They do tend to be present when manufactured infatuation is involved."

Slughorn ignored the latter comment, taken aback at the fact that his prized pupil, The Boy-Who-Lived no less, was in such a state. "Well, we can't have that, now can we? Come in, come in," said the flustered professor, as he opened the door wider for the couple to enter.

Luna guided a resisting Harry to a comfortable couch and sat him down, planting herself on his lap so he couldn't escape. She knew this potion would wear off eventually without continued use, but she couldn't stand to see Harry in this state. She wanted him to remember what the both of them had as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Professor Slughorn was searching through his storage cabinets for an antidote. When he found it, he quickly unstopped it and rushed over to the occupied couch.

"Here you go, Harry my boy, drink up," he ordered hastily.

"Why? What is that?" Harry eyed the bottle in the potion master's hand suspiciously.

"Just a calming draught. We've got to get you to relax, wouldn't want your Romilda to see you so discomposed now, correct?"

Harry stilled. "No, you're right, I can't let her see me like this. She needs to know I'm made of tougher stuff!" He eagerly grabbed the potion and downed it swiftly. His face scrunched up in distate; the love potion antidote did not taste pleasant. Suddenly, his eyes widened as he looked at to the girl in his lap, then at Slughorn, back to Luna, then his face fell.

"Lu, I am so sorry! I didn't mean any of what I said! Those chocolates, they… I'm sorry," he finished lamely.

"I forgive you, Harry. It was a love potion, and its effects were likely worsened by wrackspurts," Luna assured him.

"R-really? You forgive me, just like that?"

"Of course, Harry. Just be more careful with edible gifts from other girls in the future."

"Right." Harry hugged Luna tightly then turned to the potions professor. "Thanks for your help, Professor Slughorn. If there is anything I can do to repay…"

"Oh no, dear boy, that is not necessary. But I do look forward to seeing you and your lovely lady at my Christmas party on Friday."

"Of course, professor." Harry returned his gaze to the girl in his arms and said, "Now, my 'lovely lady' and I need to leave so I can apologize properly."

Harry scooped up a giggling Luna in his arms and carried her out of the room, in search of a suitable broom closet to snog in.

****SitM****

 **July 1997, Dumbledore's Funeral**

"Luna, I'm sorry, but I…"

Harry was cut off by Luna's finger on his lips.

"Shh, I know what you want to say, and I understand. You want to protect me. But there is hardly anyone who doesn't know of the love we share, even dirty cretins like Draco Malfoy. He will likely have already told Voldemort of us," Luna reasoned.

Harry stared at her, considering her words. She was right about his reasons for a breakup, and yet the more he thought, the more he realized she was right about the futility of it. Everyone who knew either of them, which unfortunately included Malfoy, knew how much they cared for each other. He slowly nodded, but Luna wasn't done.

"Plus, my father will never stop supporting you, so he will be a target, and will probably try to use me to stop him from printing his support of you in the Quibbler."

Harry finally gave in. "Fine, you're right, you will already be in too much danger to stay at the school. But what about the Trace? Moody was telling me about it and you won't be able to use magic if you come with us. You'll still be underage."

"Yes, but only until mid-February, and I would be with 3 other people who _can_ use magic, so I won't need to use it except in dire circumstances, when we've already been detected."

Harry was silent for several moments, but eventually a smile lit up his face.

"Okay, Lu," Harry conceded, grinning at her affectionately. He pulled her into a tight hug. Whispering into her ear, he added, "Besides, if I'm honest with myself, I wouldn't last a day without you, love."

"Nope," she agreed, happy tears in her eyes. She relished in the warmth of her boyfriend's arms around her and breathed in the wonderful scent that was unique to her Harry.

Everything would turn out alright. Luna was sure of it.

****SitM****

 **May 2, 1998**

Harry walked slowly down the stairs, head down, still going over everything he had just seen in the Pensieve. Snape had loved his mother, then devoted himself to Dumbledore after her death. He had protected Harry in his own special way in memory of her, despite his striking resemblance to James, his childhood nemesis.

Then there were all the conversations Snape and Dumbledore had. Conversations about Harry's destiny: to be killed as Voldemort's final, unintentional horcrux. He now had to sacrifice himself so that the Dark Lord could be ended once and for all.

Tears leaked out of his eyes and ran down his face. What would he tell Luna? _Could_ he tell her? He doubted he could do what he had to if he saw her. But he didn't get to choose, for Luna came running up to him.

"Harry, there you are. What's wrong?" she questioned, seeing his wet cheeks.

He couldn't bring himself to look at her. He just mumbled, "I-I'm a… a horcrux." She gasped.

"No. No no no no no no," she whimpered. She flung her arms around him, sobbing into his shoulder. Harry couldn't hold it and also broke down in her arms.

They didn't break their embrace for several minutes. When Luna finally pulled away, she met his emerald eyes with her silver ones, a sad but determined look on her face. "You come back to me, Harry Potter. With all the misfortunes you've faced in life, you deserve a break, so you will win. And when it's all over, I'll be waiting," she stated lovingly and confidently.

Harry gazed back at her, expressing as much of his love for her as possible with his eyes. He pulled her into another embrace and whispered softly, "I promise."

He gave her one last kiss, then continued his walk down the halls of the school, through the entrance hall, and out the large doors of the castle to meet his fate.

****SitM****

 **June 20, 1998**

Harry and Luna apparated to Grimmauld Place, having just been to visit her father Xenophilius. Still holding her hand, Harry led her down the street to Number 12. They walked up to the front door, and upon opening it, found Kreacher waiting eagerly for his master and his girlfriend.

It was the first time the couple had set foot in the house since their infiltration of the Ministry under Polyjuice potion the previous year. Kreacher was excited to show Harry how well he had cleaned up the place, especially since he had finally been convinced to remove Walburga Black's portrait.

At first Kreacher had adamantly refused to remove "his mistress' portrait," but Harry reminded him that she was the one who told his Master Regulus to be a Death Eater, which resulted in his death to stop Voldemort. Kreacher eventually agreed it was for the best. Harry just wished Sirius was still around to see it gone.

Kreacher took and hung their coats and guided them into the dining room, then popped out of the room. Luna smiled at the scene before them. All around the room, at least a hundred candles were burning brightly, and the dining table had been transfigured to be suitable for two. In the center of the table was a vase full of red, yellow and variegated tulips.

Luna beamed. She had seen Harry reading a book about the language of flowers the week before, and skimmed through it herself. She found this arrangement quite romantic.

"Harry! Did you plan this?" It was mostly a rhetorical question, but Harry answered regardless.

"Of course, it's been awhile since we had dinner between just the two of us. I figured this was long overdue," Harry responded happily.

He pulled out a chair for her, then when she was seated walked around the table and sat opposite her. Kreacher immediately popped back in with plates filled with food for the couple. He filled their glasses with butterbeer, then popped away again.

As they ate, they talked about anything and everything. Xeno was about to go on another expedition to find the elusive Crumple-Horned Snorkack. George was busy as ever again at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and Ron and Ginny were helping him over the summer until he could hire more help. Little Teddy Lupin was in the care of his grandmother Andromeda, and was still happy and healthy as ever.

They were about finished with dessert, when Harry grew nervous. Noticing this, Luna just waited for him to say something.

"Luna, you are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. Once I got to know you, I finally came to realize what love was. I have been through so much in the past few years, and throughout it all you have stayed by my side, making the happiest wizard there ever was. Now, I know that I'm going to start Auror training in a few weeks, and you are going back to Hogwarts for another year, but…" Harry paused, gathering his Gryffindor courage, as he put a hand in his pocket. His fingers closed around the small, velvety box.

He continued. "But I hope after that's all over," he started, getting out of his seat and pulling his hand from his pocket. "That you would do me the honor of becoming my wife?" He finished, dramatically opening the small box in his hand, revealing a ring, a large diamond set in the middle of the metal band, flanked by a smaller diamond on either side.

Luna gasped at the sight of the ring, the diamonds reflecting the dimming candlelight around them. Her eyes filled with tears, and she loudly proclaimed, "Yes, Harry Potter, I would love to be your wife!"

It took all her willpower to wait for him to stand and slide the ring onto her finger, but once it was on, she jumped at him, hugging and kissing him for all that she was worth. They didn't break their kiss for a long time, until Kreacher popped in momentarily to turn on the Wizarding Wireless.

They just held each other close and danced slowly to the music. Harry smiled. They had gone through so much, and in the end, they had won the war. But he had won something far more precious.

He had found love, and he would never let it go.

****SitM****

A/N: That's all folks! I considered doing an epilogue, but decided this was a good stopping point. I'll leave what happens later up to you if you think it matters that much. This was always going to be a short story, it just got a _little_ longer than originally planned. Huge thanks to poobear1969, absolutleyfabulous, and my parents for helping me realize I could and should do more! In the end, I was much more satisfied with the result! As always please review!

Also, don't know when I will get another story out as I'm starting college soon, but I will be working on it. Thanks for all your support!


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